👋 ASB Partners Nuggets 8.22.25
This is a short weekly email that covers a few things I’ve found interesting during the week.
Interesting Links/Reads
Many links are sourced from Marginal Revolution (bold and italics are my own to highlight what I found particularly interesting)
Podcast/Videos
Show notes from Peter Attia Podcast “The Drive”
Sugar composition & forms
Sucrose: one glucose + one fructose molecule.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS): blend of free fructose and glucose, usually higher in fructose than sucrose → sweeter taste (fructose is inherently sweeter than glucose).
Fructose in nature: mainly in fruit (with some glucose), generally not problematic at normal fruit consumption levels.
Excess fructose: more likely than excess glucose to increase appetite and cause metabolic dysregulation.
Marketing illusion
Terms like “natural sweetener” often imply health benefits, but in practice, the metabolic impact is the same if macronutrient content is identical.
“Raw sugar” still undergoes refining: extracted from cane, filtered, boiled, crystallized.
Unless sugar is consumed in its whole food form (chewing cane, eating an apple), it’s refined.
Best time to consume sugar
Post-exercise:
Muscle glycogen stores are depleted → more room for glucose storage.
Insulin sensitivity is maximized → faster and more efficient glucose uptake.
This combination minimizes harmful metabolic effects.
Endurance athletes intentionally consume large amounts of simple sugars during events to sustain performance, sometimes training their gut to tolerate higher intakes without GI distress.
Worst time to consume sugar
Late night / pre-bed (especially without recent exercise):
Circadian rhythm reduces insulin sensitivity → more insulin resistance at night.
Glucose spikes are larger, and clearance is slower.
Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) users can see much higher and more prolonged post-meal glucose curves at night compared to the same meal in the morning.
Practical takeaway
For those who want to indulge in sugar but minimize negative impact:
Best to consume within ~1 hour after exercise.
Worst to consume late at night, especially without prior physical activity.
Metabolic responses vary depending on activity level and timing, so context matters.
Bottom line
Choosing “natural” over “refined” sugar doesn’t change the underlying glucose/fructose load or its metabolic consequences.
A candy bar with “natural sweeteners” is still a candy bar.
Allulose (we will discuss in more detail later on)
Similar sweetness to erythritol (0.7× sucrose).
Very low calorie: 0.2 kcal/g (~1/20th of sucrose’s caloric load).
Has unique benefits that will be discussed in depth later.
Allulose’s Unique Properties & Mechanisms
Unlike most sugar substitutes, allulose activates the SGLT1 nutrient sensor in the gut, which drives the satiating effect of real sugar.
Caloric Profile:
~70% as sweet as sucrose.
~0.2 kcal per gram (1/20th the caloric density of sugar).
Mostly excreted in urine; minimal metabolism.
Natural & Synthetic Sources: Found in trace amounts naturally; commercially produced synthetically.
Impact on Glucose Absorption:
Competes with glucose for the SGLT1 transporter in the gut → slows or partially blocks glucose absorption.
Likely also competes for SGLT1 in the kidneys, leading to increased urinary glucose excretion (supported by small RCTs).
Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk: evaluating evidence, the aspartame controversy, and the role of dose in toxicology [A: 1:07:15, V: 1:15:55]
Overall Cancer Risk from Sugar Substitutes
Human Data:
No credible evidence linking common sugar substitutes to increased cancer risk at typical human consumption levels.
Large, longitudinal epidemiologic studies and human-dose-equivalent animal studies do not show a signal for cancer.
Animal Overdose Studies:
Cancer can be induced in animals with extreme doses (e.g., 3x body weight per day), but these conditions are unrealistic for humans.
“When you look at even the largest and most longitudinal epidemiologic studies, we just don’t see that signal. Does that mean that it’s not there? It’s very difficult to imagine that it is there in a clinically meaningful way and that it is not being picked up in the appropriate studies.” —Peter Attia
Aspartame and WHO Carcinogen Classification
WHO Decision:
WHO labeled aspartame a carcinogen (~2 years ago), based largely on flawed rodent data from one research group.
Studies involved very high doses, starting in gestation and continuing for the animal’s life.
Doses often exceeded FDA’s acceptable daily intake (50 mg/kg body weight).
Dose Context:
For a 175 lb adult, that’s equivalent to 20 cans of diet soda every day for life, starting in the womb.
The lack of a signal in human epidemiology for realistic intake levels further weakens the cancer risk claim.
Toxicology Principle — “The Dose Makes the Poison”
Applies to all substances, even water (e.g., marathoners dying of hyponatremia from overconsumption).
Important measure: LD₅₀ (dose lethal to 50% of test population).
Current human consumption patterns for sugar substitutes are orders of magnitude below any toxic threshold—if such a threshold is even measurable.
I hope you enjoyed it.
Adam
I loved the sugar consumption insights.
This man is so broad, this Adam Buckstein. Finger on the pulse
It's great to invest with him.
TK